Infectious diseases are an increasing global health threat, especially in low- and middle-income countries. There is an urgent need for continuous monitoring, rapid diagnosis and accurate tracking of infectious disease cases.
The STRIVE project strengthens health systems across Melanesia by supporting local partners to monitor and respond to vector-borne diseases.
Vector-borne diseases are a type of infectious disease transmitted by living organisms (vectors). The vectors carry pathogens such as parasites, viruses or bacteria that infect humans. Mosquitoes are a vector that carry the parasite that causes malaria and many other vector-borne diseases.
STRIVE stands for 'strengthening integrated surveillance and response for vector-borne diseases in Melanesia.' The project aims to:
STRIVE operates through an explicit partnership-based approach involving joint decision-making, co-design of activities, shared resources and mutual accountability.
STRIVE has adopted the Tupaia platform to link and visualise illness data with diagnostic test results, parasite genomic data, mosquito abundance, insecticide resistance data and available resources for outbreak response (including diagnostic and treatment consumables). This aims to strengthen Papua New Guinea's vector-borne disease surveillance and outbreak response.
In phase 1 of the project, Burnet and Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR) partnered with Papua New Guinea-based organisations and Australia-based organisations to identify barriers to malaria data collection, establish ongoing monitoring processes, rapidly identify new outbreaks, and support government and health workers in data-based decision making.
In phase 2 of the project, we aim to use what we have learned in phase 1 to expand on existing activities in Papua New Guinea and to also share knowledge with partners in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
The STRIVE Molecular Hub team talks about their research and capacity building.
2018-2023: Supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security.
2024-2028: Supported by the Australian Government through the Partnerships for a Health Region Initiative.